Accolades:

• Lannon Fellow for Poetry
• English Department Award
• For Creative Writing
• Natalie and Ben Parran Award for Teacher Education
• St. Mary's Scholar and Member of Phi Beta Kappa

About Miranda

Name:
Miranda Williams, Class of 2004

I just read:
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton – a must read!

My favorite CD:
The best of Herbie Hancock

A Class everyone should take at St. Mary's:
Poetry and Politics

Favorite spot on campus:
Being on or in the river

You'd be more likely to see me on:
Survivor, The Apprentice, The Discovery Channel

During her time at St. Mary's College, Miranda Williams had heard about the St. Mary's Way. But, it wasn't until her senior year, when reflecting upon her undergraduate career, that she reread the school's mission statement and realized she had been living it.

"My experience as a volunteer teacher in The Gambia was the peak in my understanding of those concepts that are part of the St. Mary's Way," said the Green Bay, Wisconsin, native and one of the first St. Mary's students to participate in the student-teacher exchange program with the West African nation of The Gambia. "The world is your textbook and your chalkboard. There is no doubt that this internship has prepared me for ‘a fulfilling life and successful professional career in a world of increasingly rapid technological, political, economic, and social change.' "

Those last quoted words are from the College's mission statement, built upon Maryland's colonial founders' ideals of tolerance and innovation. It sets forth that St. Mary's prepares its students for successful integration into the world at large and to effect change for the better by emphasizing creative expression, the interconnected nature of knowledge, and an understanding of cultures with differing values and institutions.

It was the last concept in the mission statement -- understanding different cultures -- that led the English major with certification in secondary education to focus her St. Mary's Project on the establishment of a teaching internship in one of Africa's smallest and neediest countries. Under the guidance of professors Ardith Harle, Lois Stover, and Bill Roberts, also the Gambian program's director, Miranda prepared to teach.

While in The Gambia, Miranda stayed with other St. Mary's students and shared meals with a host family, who lived nearby. "One of the hardest things to get used to was having no running water," she said. "We lived as the locals -- and that meant carrying heavy buckets [of water] on our heads."

From mid-October to mid-December, Miranda taught English and Literature for Grade 10 to a group of around 45 students ranging in age from 15-20. One of the most important lessons she learned was how to teach with limited resources: "I got a textbook, a curriculum outline, and chalk to do my work."

The official language of The Gambia, and language of instruction in the classroom, is English. But "from the first day it was apparent that our [teaching] style was different," said Miranda. "Students were thrilled to have interactive lessons, group work, creative writing assignments, and frequent, but smaller, tests and quizzes geared at their level. I was able to implement a pen-pal program that linked American high school students with my Gambian students." Approximately 240 students from both countries participated.

"After teaching my classes (my favorite part of the day), I sometimes coached a local football (soccer) team of 5th grade boys in my neighborhood," Miranda continued. "At night, I liked to write in my journal. I planned the next day and prayed that I wouldn't get bitten by too many more mosquitoes, that the electricity would stay on so that my fan would continue to blow, and that the winter season would come soon."

"The most difficult thing that I witnessed was getting into a taxi and seeing a small boy, about 6 years old, who was suffering from malaria. He could barely stay awake; his eyes were so droopy and he was breathing slowly from his mouth. It was sad to witness. Malaria and the constant threat of it was serious. I knew eight people who contracted it during my stay."

Upon her return to the United States, Miranda decided to continue to teach and was hired as a full-time substitute teacher for 9th grade honors English at Leonardtown High School for the remainder of the 2003-2004 school year. "I realized what an excess of resources we have here," she said. "In my classroom alone, I had an overhead projector, a TV, VCR, DVD, stereo, printer, computer, an Internet connection, and an electric pencil sharpener. Not to mention air conditioning, dry-erase boards, and a desk for everyone. I was spoiled!"

And what about life after St. Mary's for the magna cum laude graduate? Miranda is teaching high school English in Lewisburg, Pa. "I guess teaching is in my blood. My mom was a teacher and now she's a principal. I just know that any career I choose has to be one that directly involves helping people. I can't think of a better way to help the most number of people than to teach." Mission accomplished.